“The Boy Who Broke Santa’s Lap“- the subject of Raleigh- based agency, Crisp‘s holiday video has a humorous touch to it but the video ends on a serious note: “The holidays are hard for some people; be kind.”
And Crisp intends to do the same. The agency has created the CRISP Dream Build, a mailer promoting their partnership with The Green Chair Project asking recipients and the social community at large to deconstruct and rebuild green chair Legos to promote a social good initiative: for every Lego rebuild posted using the hashtag #CRISPDreamBuild CRISP will donate $50, and $10 or each social like/share/comment, up to $5,000.
DIVERGE talked to Brent Barbour, Creative Director at Crisp to find out more:
Where did the idea come from?
CRISP launched the “Breakthrough” campaign this summer to tear things down (metaphorically and in some cases, literally) in order to build them back up in new and better ways. Building upon that platform an all-agency battle royale of multi-disciplinary teams produced the story of Apple Juice Johnson, a video about the boy who broke Santa’s lap in 1995, and The CRISP Dream Build, a mailer promoting our partnership with The Green Chair Project asking recipients and the social community at large to deconstruct and rebuild green chair Legos to promote a social good initiative.
Why is it significant?
Admittedly, “significant” isn’t the right word to describe a mockumentary about a boy who got a little too excited about meeting Santa in 1995, but with almost 20,000 views in its first week, perhaps the results are. Similarly, our mailer is just a box, some Legos, a card and a hashtag, but their purpose and message carry a significance far greater than the individual parts.
How long did it take to initiate?
The core principle of “Breakthrough” derives itself from the soul of CRISP. In that way we started breaking down last year’s campaign as soon as we put it to bed in order to produce something better this year. However, from the official project kickoff to final deliverables the timeline was about 7 weeks.
Who was the team behind the idea?
CRISP is a family, so whether it was working directly on the campaign, or covering client work for those doing the heavy lifting, everyone played a role.
Can you elaborate on the Green Chair Project and why its important?
CRISP and The Green Chair Project share a hometown (Raleigh, NC) and a similar mission. Ours to create stories that bend and reshape the future; theirs to empower families to create their surroundings and rebuild their lives. Getting down to brass tacks, for every Lego rebuild posted using the hashtag #CRISPDreamBuild CRISP will donate $50, and $10 or each social like/share/comment, up to $5,000.
Why is the social good aspect important to you?
Far too often, the advertising industry loses sight of its ability to effect positive change in the world. For this campaign, CRISP challenged itself to conceive of an idea that furthered our brand while placing The Green Chair Project in the spotlight and furthering their mission.
What kind of feedback have you received?
From honest laugher at the end of a challenging 2016 (video) to happy tears of inspiration (mailer), all the feedback we’ve received has been extremely positive. But the most important reaction we’ve seen is the excitement of The Green Chair Project and the additional people they’ve been able to help this holiday season because of the impact of this campaign.
Below are a few “builds” from the mailers shared on social media:
Thanks @Crisp_Agency for the Lego kit! A Merry Christmas indeed – while supporting an important cause. #CRISPDreamBuild pic.twitter.com/hJwevwn02u
— Lauren Pritchett (@hilgspritch) December 21, 2016
